How the heck is a person going to tell me that I am being very unrealistic about my weight loss goals and timeframes I set for myself? Telling me not to be surprised when it doesn't happen the way I want it to.

I said I will be my goal weight come August. That's 18.5lbs per month at this point. Not too bad... not outlandish either. It's attainable.

I know there will be fast and slow times. I expect that but I do not, I repeat, I do not like people putting stop signs in front of me.

If I can do it and it's possible then damnit I'm doing it. I don't need a Gastric Bypass patient telling me that it's not going to happen for me and it's just unrealistic.

Thanks for listening. Just had to vent for a hot NY second.

As far as hitting my goal.. I know it sounds crazy but I know it can really happen. Not just for me but for everyone that really put forth the effort.

...with the right mindset and determination, anything and everything is possible.

Telly, we frequent some of the same boards and we "share" a surgeon, so first, I want to say that I think your progress is AMAZING! This post is NOT meant to dim your drive and your fire...you should most definitely keep the gusto going!

But...your results are NOT typical. I worry a bit about other bandsters (or pre-ops) when I see posts like this. You are definitely the exception to the bandster lifestyle. A GOOD exception, but still, not everyone can hope/expect to lose weight as quickly as you have. For MOST people, they do need to get several fills before the band is effective. For MOST people, hoping to lose 18.5 lbs per month is unrealistic.

When I read something like "for everyone that really put forth the effort," I feel a bit of irritation. I seriously doubt you mean it this way (I think you mean it as encouragement), but it feels like you're saying that anyone who isn't losing at such a rapid rate just isn't putting forth the effort. Most bandsters really will lose an average of 1-2 lbs/week and that's ok.

Again, I think that your enthusiasm is GREAT! You've done so well and you should be very proud of that.

well, i haven't even been banded yet and i have weight loss goals in mind! is that crazy? i will be banded on june 30th and my first goal is to be down by 12 pounds by july 30th!

Just a little reminder that the reason bypass patients lose so much weight is that their body doesn't obsorb a lot of the nutrition from the foods they eat...they have had a portion of their intestine bypassed...secondly they can't eat very much at a time.

I think your determination is fabulous and being newly banded I hope you and me, too can do that. But don't beat yourself up if your body can't lose that fast even if you are perfect. As long as it's coming off...you'll be a winner!

Good focus telly. Be the ball. lol. I hope after my banding I will be where you are now. I also have a goal that people think is unrealistic. I am being banded today at 8am, I want to be down 30lbs by july 22nd. For my cousins wedding. I know it may not happen, but I tell ya sista's. I am gonna try my hardest once I heal to exercise. Wish me luck ladies. Telly kick ass and take names!!

Just saw this but Telly, girlfriend you are the BOMB!!! I love your determination! I say you can do it! With all that working out you will do it. Work this band girlfriend!! You have encouraged me to do the same. You were just what I needed this morning! I am with you 100%, say goodbye to those Haters cause you are brushing that dirt off of your shoulders!! Like my signature says"

Hey sounds like you are getting a lot of great advice, all I have to say is YOU are YOU and no one else, what goals YOU set are YOUR goals and no one elses. So step up to the plate get in the game and go girl go. Sounds like to me just like a manager of a team, you are going to learn about the players(i.e.all the issues) with that being said keep us informed on how your team is progressing...................................

Received a PM about my goals and weight loss,

I completely understand about the possibility of organ damage should I lose too much weight too fast. Don't get me wrong, I do care about my organs and I want to keep my bladder and my liver, but I really can't stop what I'm doing. I feel guilty if I haven't gotten in my exercise first thing in the morning and then again at night. I beat myself up for that. Please be rest assured that I am doing alot of the "Right" things. Here is my typical day:

Typical Day for Me

16.5-18 mile bike ride (35 miles Sunday's only, so typically 120+ miles per week on the bike)

2-4 mile walk/jog/run

200 crunches

B-Isopure Protein shake

S-Light Dannon Yogurt Drink

L-1/2 Myoplex Protein Shake

S-1-2 slices of lunch meat (lean turkey or chicken)

D-3-6 oz of food, which would include Baked Fish (Talapia/Tuna/Salmon) 1 cup of broccoli, 1/4 cup of baked potatoes

64fl oz - 128fl oz of Water (sometimes more depending on the distance I bike)

I'm not perfect, no one is. I also beat myself up for having a cup of ice cream in May when I took my kids to their dance rehearsal. Oh yeah, I even had Kettle corn one night as I worked.

Yes I am losing weight pretty fast comparitively speaking but as you see, I do more than the average banded person as far as exercise. Now that I have joined Gold's Gym, I will be bumping up my cardio, putting in 2-3 hours, switching it up from home workouts to in gym, elliptical/propak and soon weight lifting. I have hired a personal trainer who will get me reacclamated with the machines, to include alot of new machines and will get me lifting weights and body sculpting. The band was my very first move in showing how serious I am about getting healthier. I biked only up to 6.5 miles prior to being banded. That was all I could do. I would be exhausted before I could reach my driveway, but now I can do up to 40 miles in almost 3 hours and I know I am progressing. I am not bragging here. Please don't take it as that. Just know that with time, we get better at what we do.

I'm getting very serious about my health, my overall physical appearance and mental health as well.

If I should damage any of my precious organs, then that will be on me and I have been warned. I will speak with my PCP and a Nutritionist next week to ensure I am not doing something that would kill me... (not doing what I'm doing now WILL kill me :cool:

Telly, just be careful, k? I did Body for Life a couple of years ago and, while doing that, met some very determined people. But what I found was that, sometimes, determination and obsessive behavior are not that far from each other. One gal in particular did extremely well with BFL...even started to get into body building competitions. But where she started out simply wanting to be thinner and healthier, after a year or so, practically the only thing she thought about was when she would be working out again, what she'd eaten that day, was it too much, not enough, she was taking Vitamins and supplements like crazy. Her entire focus became about losing more weight. When I mentioned how "bizarre" her life was sounding, she became very upset with me. About a year later, she admitted that, during that time, she began treatment for OCD and is STILL struggling with it. She has also gained quite a bit of weight back because she couldn't continue at that level without giving in to the OCD behaviors.

Being a bandster, to me, is about leading a normal life. Eating normally and exercising normally. As much as I'd love to take this weight off very quickly, exercising twice per day and drinking Protein shakes 2x/day is not normal. It's not even considered healthy. Even in the body building world, competitors use extreme diets and exercise regimens only for short periods of time right before a competition.

Please don't be offended by this. It's just that, in the overall scheme of the rest of your life, whether you reach goal in August or in November really makes very little difference. But by pushing so hard, you CAN set yourself up for problems later on...not only physical ones, but emotional/mental ones, too. And I "hear" things in your posts that sound an awful lot like that gal from a couple of years ago. You're doing things to lose weight (like using a sauna suit) that are just NOT healthy. So please be careful...the end goal is thinner AND healthy....not just a number on the scale.

If anyone can,Telly can....you work and you try and you go girl!:nervous

LOL, in that case, is there such a thing as OCED - Obsessive compulsive eating disorder (fake diagnosis).

The fact remains, every single person can be diagnosed with something. Maybe I could develop an OC disorder and maybe not. Lots of people have addictive personalities to include people who are addicted to the internet and forums. Harmful? Maybe.

I have changed my lifestyle and god I love what I am doing. Yes, my goal is to lose weight first, then body sculpt. I have an aunt who is a body builder and has been all her life. She spends 3 hours in the gym everyday, EVERY SINGLE DAY and she has 3 shakes per day and 2 meals, with 3 Protein bars, sports drinks, mad Water, etc. My aunt takes in 4000+ calories per day, per her words. I can't believe that. But she wouldn't lie. She's been doing this since I was a baby and guess what?? She's still alive! No complications, no organ issues, she lives a very normal athletes life and I want to as well. Nothing wrong with that.

Not that I NEED to justify my diet with you but I will.

I prefer to have 2 shakes a day b/c it makes me feel less groggy and keeps me feeling light on my feet. Whether you think that's normal or not, I don't really care. The fact remains that I am packing my body with mucho much Vitamins, protein and all that good stuff that you just can't get out of regular, steroid riddened meats or foods, with lots of preservatives and a bunch of other things I cant even pronounce, not to include pesticides. Please don't even get me started. Please do not compare me to your friend.

At the same time, my goal is to be at my optimum health, so please understand that.

I wear a sauna suit twice per week. You have your opinion about how healthy it is, but retaining too much water is not healthy. In fact BAD for you. I used to have watered out, swollen ankles and let me tell you. Those days are over. No more water ankles.

The end goal for me is not thinner, it is a healthier me.

Cinward, you stated normal exercise, normal foods. Seriously though, do you think that the foods you buy and eat are normal foods? Normal as far as American standars normal? Or normal as in, the most healthiest normal you can get. In that case, only organic foods would be normal and eating none of the meat that is farmed would be considered normal. Is normal exercise to you.. 15 minutes of cardio? There is no normal when it comes to body training.

My diet is perfect for me and I am sure there is nothing wrong with it.

I agree with you telly, and also know you were an athlete before gaining your weight. You still have an athlete mind and you are starting to get an athletes body again. I really do think if someone wants to lose weight/inches and get healthy fast, what you are doing is best and I really do think you are doing it in a healthy way.

And when you think about it, what you are doing is normal. Do you think Lance Armstrong's daily routine is unhealthy and bad for his body? It's not and he is "training" almost everyday of the year. How about Olympic runners and swimmers? You don't think they drink a couple shakes a day and aren't out swimming or training for a couple hours a day? Or people who do marathons? I'd trade for their bodies and health any day.

And I know Telly has even thought about becoming a personal trainer at some point. So how she is living, is a normal lifestyle.

Telly, I'm sorry if my concern has offended you. By normal, I pretty much just mean "not to excess." And yes, that can vary quite a bit according to the person.

A couple of things about your post...

One, if you really think that Protein shakes aren't full of preservatives and artificial ingredients, you've been listening to their advertising too long. : Even if you purchase plain Protein powder, it's been chemically processed...nothing really "natural" about it. If we really wanted to debate "best foods," which I don't, you're right...organic farmed and raised "whole" foods would be best.

Two, to best utilize your band, you shouldn't be drinking your calories. Now, I know you don't have a fill yet, so it's different for you right now, but for any other bandster with restriction, their food needs to be solid...not liquid.

Three, I probably should have known better than to say anything anyway. My BFL friend got pretty irritated and defensive when I said anything to her, too. People will believe what they want to believe, so I'm done here.

I wish you all the best! I really DO think your enthusiasm and progress are great. :cool:

Telly, I'm sorry if my concern has offended you. By normal, I pretty much just mean "not to excess." And yes, that can vary quite a bit according to the person.

A couple of things about your post...

One, if you really think that Protein shakes aren't full of preservatives and artificial ingredients, you've been listening to their advertising too long. : Even if you purchase plain protein powder, it's been chemically processed...nothing really "natural" about it. If we really wanted to debate "best foods," which I don't, you're right...organic farmed and raised "whole" foods would be best.

Two, to best utilize your band, you shouldn't be drinking your calories. Now, I know you don't have a fill yet, so it's different for you right now, but for any other bandster with restriction, their food needs to be solid...not liquid.

Three, I probably should have known better than to say anything anyway. My BFL friend got pretty irritated and defensive when I said anything to her, too. People will believe what they want to believe, so I'm done here.

I wish you all the best! I really DO think your enthusiasm and progress are great.

I understand what you are saying cinward, but I don't believe there is anything wrong with drinking calories, banded or not. I am pretty sure that alot of people replace meals with Protein Shakes. Nothing wrong with that. I'm am not all liquid anymore, I do eat, trust me. *as she takes a bite of grilled chicken garden salad*

Defensive? Somewhat b/c I felt you were incenuating possible ocd development in comparison to someone else you know and I don't believe you are qualified to say such a thing to anyone. It would be received as offensive I would assume. Everyone leads a different life and normalcy standards are according to that person and their lifestyle and routine. What may be normal for you may not be normal to me. I thought my family was abnormal and disfunctional, till I met other families..like the Fockers. Joke here.

But thank you for your compliment. Compliments are always welcome. Thank you for your concern too, but if anyone should worry, should be my hubby since i threw out all the bad crappy normal food he was used to.

LOL, in that case, is there such a thing as OCED - Obsessive compulsive eating disorder (fake diagnosis).

Telly,

I just want to take exception to the one thing.....there IS a such thing as OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and it's not a fake diagnosis. I don't remember reading anything anybody said about OCED. Although I have not thoroughly researched it, I suppose it has the potential to be a valid dianosis. I have seen evidence of individuals who seem obsessed with food and eating. What other diagnosis would you give it other than food addiction? And, I can see that it could go both ways....either obsessed with NOT eating or obsessed with taking in the food.

Otherwise, your determination (I think) should be commended. I am not one to publically judge your actions on how you meet your goals. The only one you should have to answer to is yourself. You, as articulate as you are, have explained yourself and appear to have researched and thought out your plan. What more is there to justify to others?

DD, I said OCED. Obessive Compulsive EATING disorder. There is no such a thing. I do know that there is OCD. I live with one.

There is.. however a Compulsive eating disorder.

Also, very true, only I have to answer to myself.

Thank you for not judging me. I love people like you.